The Study Of Xirong Culture In The Majiayuan Cemetery

The Majiayuan cemetery is an important cemetery of Xirong culture,which is locatded in Zhangjiachuan county,eastern part of Gansu province.Its stepped vertical pit tombs with side chambers,luxuriously decorated chariots and exquisite decorations of costume and body have attracted widespread attention upon its publishing.And it has added new colors to Xirong culture distributed around the Longshan mountain.This paper took the published data of the Majiayuan cemetery as the object and discussed issues including the age,the characteristics,the grade sequence and the ethnicity of the cemetery,as well as its cultural factors,commonness and difference with other Xirong cultures.This study concluded that the age of the Majiayuan cemetery is from the late period of the Warring States period to the Qin dynasty.The cemetery prevails stepped vertical pit tombs with side chambers,the extended burials,the chariots,the skulls and hoof bones of cattle,sheep,horses,and so on.The tombs have distinct sequence of grade which can be divided into three categories and five small categories.The Majiayuan cemetery has different cultural factors which include Xirong,Qin,Central China,northern steppe and Mediterranean culture.Benefiting from the development of local trade,all of these factors converge here.There are both commonalities and individuality between the Majiayuan cemetery and the other Xirong relics in the surrounding area of the Longshan mountain.Among the five distinctive Xirong culture distribution areas,the Majiayuan cemetery has the closest resemblance to the Xirong culture in Tianshui,Gansu.They should both be the remains of Mianzhurong.